The natural sense of hearing in human beings involves the use of hair cells in the cochlea that convert or transduce acoustic signals into auditory nerve impulses. Hearing loss, which may be due to many different causes, is generally of two types: conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss occurs when the normal mechanical pathways for sound to reach the hair cells in the cochlea are impeded. These sound pathways may be impeded, for example, by damage to the auditory ossicles. Conductive hearing loss may often be overcome through the use of conventional hearing aids that amplify sound so that acoustic signals can reach the hair cells within the cochlea. Some types of conductive hearing loss may also be treated by surgical procedures.
Sensorineural hearing loss, on the other hand, is caused by the absence or destruction of the hair cells in the cochlea, which are needed to transduce acoustic signals into auditory nerve impulses. People who suffer from sensorineural hearing loss may be unable to derive significant benefit from conventional hearing aid systems, no matter how loud the acoustic stimulus. This is because the mechanism for transducing sound energy into auditory nerve impulses has been damaged. Thus, in the absence of properly functioning hair cells, auditory nerve impulses cannot be generated directly from sounds.
To overcome sensorineural hearing loss, numerous cochlear implant systems—or cochlear prostheses—have been developed. Cochlear implant systems bypass the hair cells in the cochlea by presenting electrical stimulation directly to the auditory nerve fibers by way of one or more channels formed by an array of electrodes implanted in the cochlea. Direct stimulation of the auditory nerve fibers leads to the perception of sound in the brain and at least partial restoration of hearing function.
When a cochlear implant system is initially implanted in a patient, and during follow-up tests and checkups thereafter, it is usually necessary to “fit” the cochlear implant system to the patient. Fitting of a cochlear implant system to a patient is typically performed by an audiologist or the like who presents various stimuli to the patient and relies on subjective feedback from the patient as to how such stimuli are perceived. Adjustments may be made to specifically tailor the parameters of the cochlear implant system to the patient being fitted.
Fitting a cochlear implant system to a patient typically utilizes and/or is performed by cochlear implant fitting hardware that implements and/or operates in accordance with cochlear implant fitting software. Like other medical-related products, cochlear implant fitting software is regulated by governmental agencies from geographic regions (e.g., countries, states, provinces, etc.) where the cochlear implant fitting software is released. Because the regulation of the fitting software may differ from one geographic region to the next, it may be necessary produce several different versions of the cochlear implant fitting software, with each different version corresponding to the specific regulations/limitations of a particular geographic region. However, the process of creating, testing, debugging, releasing, and managing multiple versions of cochlear implant fitting software can be burdensome and expensive. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that each version of the cochlear implant fitting software must pass through a regulatory approval process.